


The Hardest Part Is Letting Go

by thatstaceygirl



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 22:27:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3093677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatstaceygirl/pseuds/thatstaceygirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been ten years since Darcy Lewis met Thor Odinson in the New Mexico desert and it takes a funeral to bring them back together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hardest Part Is Letting Go

Darcy hadn't seen Thor in years. That was the way life worked, she supposed. Some people drifted in and out of your life quickly, some stuck around for a while, and there were the ones like the shining god of Thunder- they burned hot and bright and seared you with their light for a moment, then they were gone. Not that he'd been that white hot light for her, no, that was Jane. And Jane was gone now.

She'd kept in touch with her one time boss over the years, exchanging emails and IMs and text messages. They caught up when they could, meeting for the occasional meal, but life got in the way and those visits and calls and messages dwindled until there was nothing left. Darcy had graduated, married the wrong man, and divorced in the intervening years. Jane and Thor had dated, of course they had dated, but he had responsibilities not on Earth and Jane was married to Science. From what her friend had told her, Darcy gathered that the break up hadn't been easy on either of them, no matter that it had been the right thing to do. 

"It's not that I don't love him," Jane had told her over coffee once, a frown creasing her brow. "I did. I still do. I always did-"

"It's just that sometimes the hurdles are too big and you can't make it over them, no matter how high you jump." Darcy knew how that went. Hollyweird liked to sell the idea that no problem couldn't be overcome if you loved someone enough, but life just didn't work that way. 

Jane's hurdling days were long over now. They'd been over for a while, ever since she'd found the lump in her breast that turned out to be cancer. She'd fought, because that's just what Jane _did_ , but in the end the cancer had won.

There were a few faces at the funeral that Darcy recognized. George, Jane's fiance (husband? Darcy thought she remembered Jane saying something about them marrying at the courthouse, but she couldn't remember now), was one of them. Erik Selvig was there too. She'd spoken to him earlier, before the service. She'd even spotted Ian Boothby, her and Jane's intern, and shared an awkward hug with him, because what else did you do with the guy who saved your life that one time by smashing some aliens with a Ford Ka? It was a good turn out, really, much better than she'd expected, but there was one face that was missing from the picture, someone that she wanted to see very badly. Thor.

She entertained, briefly, the idea that he was skipping this event on purpose, but that just wouldn't have been him. If nothing else, Thor would make the time to come pay his respects to the mortal woman he'd loved, because that was the sort of man he was. Darcy kept her eyes open for him during the interment. She spotted him near the end, just before the casket was lowered into the ground, a hundred yards or so away, his presence masked by the large oak trees that dotted the cemetary. It was so unlike him, to not be in the thick of things, but she thought she understood why. Thor was famous, a bonifide superhero. He was bound to draw attention away from where it was supposed to be, so he kept his distance.

Now there was a dilemma. Out of respect for her friend and colleague, Darcy felt like she should stay at the gravesite. She should wait until it was all over, give her respects to George and Jane's mother, but by the time that was done, Thor would be long gone. If he was taking the trouble to stay far enough away to not distract the mourners, he certainly wasn't going to stick around. But at the same time, she thought she knew what Jane would want her to do. And Jane wouldn't want him to be alone, mourning her loss with no support at all. Thinking of it that way made her decision easy.

Slipping away from the interment was easy. Getting to the god of Thunder without spooking him was the hard part, and even then, it was easier than she'd thought it would be. Especially with the way he was watching the group that had gathered at Jane's grave with a laser-like focus. Several minutes passed with Darcy standing at his side before Thor acknowledged her.

"It is good to see you, Darcy Lewis, though I confess that I wish it were under better circumstances."

"I wish it were too, big guy," she said, laying a hand on his arm. "How's space?"

That remark earned her a snort of amusement, which was far less than the smile she'd hoped for, but it was something. "Space is complicated, as it always is. How do you fare in the realm of Washington?"

She shrugged, leaning against his side. Yes, he was a warrior and used to standing on his own as he commanded legions, but this wasn't a battle that could be won. Grief was a tricky thing and Darcy wanted to give him any amount of comfort she could provide. "It's not bad. Could be better, but it could be a hell of a lot worse, too."

Thor nodded and they went back to watching the services in silence. When the casket was lowered into the ground and the group began to disperse, Darcy turned her attention back to the god at her side. "Do you want to go over there now or do you want to wait until later? Because I'm taking my cues from you, buddy."

She wasn’t sure Thor had heard her, but after a few moments he nodded. “Perhaps waiting would be less disruptive. When I last visited Jane, her suitor was less than pleased. I do not imagine his opinion will have changed.”

Darcy’s hand tightened on Thor’s arm and she gave him a small smile. “George has been stressed. He’s a nice guy once you get to know him, I promise.” She said the words, but they were lip service. George’s jealousy of Thor wasn’t likely to dissipate with Jane gone, especially since it had stuck around when Jane was actually there to tell him to his face how happy he made her. “How about we go grab some coffee? You can tell me all about Asgard and we’ll come back in a couple of hours.”

Thor nodded, finally turning those bright blue eyes in her direction, his gaze hitting her like a jolt of lightning. She’d forgotten about that, how everything about the god beside her was electric. Darcy would have to make sure she didn’t forget that again.

“You are a good friend, Darcy Lewis. The coffee of this realm has been missed nearly as much as your company.”

She tugged him gently in the direction of her car. “Dude, it’s just Darcy.”

**Author's Note:**

> I took inspiration from Thor: God of Thunder, regarding the end of Jane and Thor's relationship and her later illness.


End file.
